Friday, August 29, 2008

Other Items

U.S. forces have arrested a deputy of Ahmad Chalabi, who was once the Bush administration's favorite Iraqi politician, and implicated him in bombings that killed Americans and Iraqis, Chalabi and Iraqi government officials said Thursday.

Tom Morello sang a glorious version of Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land.

Cindy Sheehan ripped into the dastardly twins (Democrats and Republicans).

Two new supporters came out of the woodwork to support Nader/Gonzalez.

When we asked for donations, Brooke Smith, star of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, rose out of the crowd, took the stage, pledged her support -- and $4,600 -- to the Nader/Gonzalez campaign.

Then we had another convert.

A 21-year-old African American from Phoenix -- Rev. Jarrett Maupin -- gave an eloquent speech as to why he's breaking with the Democratic Party, and vowed to organize the Latino and African American communities for Nader/Gonzalez.

And off course, Ralph laid it on the line, as usual.

Free Speech TV was slammed.

So, few people were able to watch on line.

Our apologies.

But highlights from the rally have now been posted on the internet. Click here to watch. Then click on the icon that says FSTV Coverage: Ralph Nader at the Open the Debates.

So, take a peek at this amazing show, and then get the DVD (see below).

As you know, we're in the middle of a fundraising drive to raise $100,000 by September 4.

We're off to a great start, hovering around $25,000 in just four days.

But we have to crank it up to meet our goal (we haven't missed one yet -- good job troops).

Let's get it done.

Remember, if you give $100 or more now, we'll send you three DVDs -- the Denver rally, the Minneapolis rally, and a special debate DVD. (Three DVD offer ends September 4 at 11:59 p.m.)

Onward to November.

The Nader Team

We don't normally post videos on Friday but those didn't get noted yesterday. By Saturday night, I will have enough up that the videos aren't up. (Videos are a problem for people with dial up. Not only is it slower for the page to load, they also receive some Adobe Acrobat error.)

Nader, who is running for president as an Independent this year, spoke to the media and several residents in the Capitol Rotunda.In his speech, he said the government has been "hijacked" by corporations, which are controlling the debates and not allowing third-party candidates to participate.This means they can "control the gateway to tens of millions of viewers," he said "There's no other western democracy in the world that would tolerate something like that."One goal of his campaign is to be allowed to participate in the presidential debates, his regional campaign coordinator Benjamin Drendel said.

"The release of carbon dioxide is massive in this country," said Nader, a longtime consumer rights advocate and a perennial political candidate.Nader said wind resources could provide electrical power to the country without leaving a legacy of pollution.

"It's clear that Ralph Nader could again have a significant impact on the Presidential race – though in highly unpredictable ways," Time/CNN pollsters concluded." In Nevada, Nader was the choice of 6% of respondents, and his presence flattened Obama's lead into a 41%-41% tie. Yet in New Mexico, where Nader polled at 8%, he drew votes almost equally from both major candidates, while in Pennsylvania he siphoned off significant support from McCain; a three-way race there would give Obama 47%, McCain 38% and Nader 7%."

The Nader/Gonzalez campaign is on track to be on 45 ballots by September 20.

For more information on the Nader/Gonzalez campaign, visit: votenader.org.

(Detroit) --- Cynthia McKinney (www.votetruth08.com),Presidential candidate of the Green Party of the United States(GPUS; www.GP.org) and head of the first nationwide ticketputting two women of color on ballots across the US, willvisit Michigan for Labor Day weekend August 30 - September 1.

The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI; www.MIGreens.org) willbe hosting a press conference for Congresswoman McKinney at7pm Saturday, August 30 at the International Institute (111E. Kirby, Detroit). The press conference will be followed bya rally with other GPMI Federal, state, and local candidatesat 7:30pm at the same location. The rally is open to thepublic, and free.

The following evening -- Sunday, August 31 -- CongresswomanMcKinney will deliver a key policy speech on the eliminationof poverty at the National Welfare Rights Union (www.MWRO.org)Awards Dinner. The dinner, starting at 6:30pm, will be heldat St. Paul of the Cross Retreat House, 23333 Schoolcraft,Detroit.

On Monday, Labor Day, Congresswoman McKinney will be joiningthousands of union members in Detroit celebrating Labor Day bymarching down Woodward Avenue.

Other campaign events during the visit will be announcedas the details are finalized.

The Green Party of Michigan welcomes Cynthia McKinney toMichigan. She will lead GPMI's 2008 slate -- which includes

* Harley Mikkelson of Caro, retired after service with the Army in Vietnam and for 26 years in Michigan state government, for US Senate (www.harleymikkelson.com);

* Rev. Edward Pinkney, a Benton Harbor community activist currently unjustly imprisoned at Hiawatha Correctional Facility, running to represent his home 6th Congressional District in the US House (see also BHBANCO.blogspot.com); and

* 30 other Michigan Greens running for Federal, state, and local offices.

Cynthia McKinney is a six-term former Congresswoman fromGeorgia who quit the Democratic Party on her birthday in 2007because the Democratic Party no longer represented her values.She joined the Green Party, campaigned for its Presidentialnomination, and was nominated in Chicago at the Green PartyNational Convention on July 12 (www.votetruth08.com).

* introduced Articles of Impeachment for George Bush,Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice;

* introduced, championed, and passed in the U.S. House the Arms Trade Code of Conduct, prohibiting the sale of arms to known human-rights abusers; and

* passed legislation to extend health benefits for Vietnam War veterans still suffering the health effects of exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange.

She currently serves on an International tribunal onHurricanes Katrina and Rita and on the Brussels Tribunal onIraq. She is also participating in War Crimes prosecutionsin Spain, and working with the Malaysian Peace organizationto criminalize war.

Cynthia McKinney’s long-time advocacy for poor peopleand her recent participation as a Commissioner in the TruthCommission for Water Rights held in Detroit May 3 promptedanti-poverty leaders to invite her as the guest speaker forthe Awards Dinner at the National Welfare Rights Union Retreat.

Currently on the ballot in 25 states that hold a majorityof electoral votes -- and with a good chance to make it on inseveral more states -- the Green Party presidential ticket isbreaking new ground, and breaking down barriers, in Americanpolitics with the Cynthia McKinney-Rosa Clemente campaign.

The campaign has also crossed the fundraising thresholdin 14 states (including Michigan) out of the 20 required toqualify for matching Federal funds for the primary season.The deadline to qualify in at least six more states, andearn matching funds, is September 4.

The McKinney/Clemente campaign offers a profoundly pro-people, anti-corporate program for this election. Congress-woman McKinney will bring the troops home -- all the troops --not only from Iraq and Afghanistan, but from every countrywhere US troops are stationed. She will reduce significantlythe bloated Pentagon budget, and spend the money here at home.She supports an immediate moratorium on foreclosures. Shewants to convert the prisons for profit into money spent oneducation. She supports universal, single-payer healthcare.

As her running mate, Congresswoman McKinney chose RosaClemente (www.RosaClemente.com). Ms. Clemente brings strongcredentials to this race. She is a founder of the Hip-HopConvention, a community activist, and a scholar.

GPMI was formed in 1987 to address environmentalissues in Michigan politics. Greens are organizedin all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Eachstate Green Party sets its own goals and creates itsown structure, but US Greens agree on Ten Key Values:

Again, we'll note Deeky (Shakesville) explaining "I'm a gay man, and so refer Mrs. Ephron to one Donnie McClurkin. And when she's done making herself familiar with McClurkin, I'd like to point her toward James T. Meeks. You see, there are other things that are important to me; this isn't a one issue election. And I have a very big problem voting for a candidate that uses anti-gay bigots as part of their campaign, regardless of the threat McCain may pose to Roe v. Wade."

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.